Working Title
by Yameh Padfoot
Summary: Story One in the series 'Tales Of Pride Rock'. Mufasa and Taka are growing up in the Pridelands, but an evil Pride from beyond the border threatens their perfect lives. Can the two young princes save the Pridelands?


A/N: I'm not much of a believer in huge author's notes, but anyways, I just want you to understand a few things. This fanfic is the first in a (so far) four part series that may grow larger, but I doubt it. It happens before The Lion King, a prequel, if ya will. If you read this chapter and have any questions, please leave them in a reveiw, I'd be more than happy to answer them in Author's Note of the next chaper =). That said, on with the fic! Yameh Padfoot  
  
Disclaimer: I don't anything from The Lion King, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, or anything from Disney for that matter. I'm not affliated with Disney and all that crap. All characters that didn't appear in TLK or SP (Chanoko, Metada, etc) however, are mine, and I don't apreciate stealing. Thank you =)  
  
Chapter One: A New Beginning  
  
The blood red sun rose up into the African Side, drenching the Pridelands in gorgeous shades of crimson and gold. Animals all over the savanna were waking up, lifting their head to look at the huge rock formation in the distance. And they new it was time.  
  
Creatures of all species, colors, shapes, and sizes began moving towards Pride Rock. Multicolored birds flew above the heads of large gray elephants, graceful antelope sprung through the tall amber grass, meerkats scurried along on all fours, leopards jumped out of trees and cheetahs raced across the land. Each beheld as they came closer a great ginger lion with a magnificent black mane padding out of the den onto the jutting rock to greet an aging mandrill. After giving the shaman a hug, his green eyes swept across the animals before he turned to follow the mandrill back into the den.  
  
Inside the cave, lionesses were gathered around, some laying up on rocks and looking down, some sitting behind, and few choice ones sitting next to a tan lioness in the center. Her reddish brown eyes lifted to greet and nuzzle her mate, the ginger lion dubbed Ahadi, before lowering them to gaze fondly at the two newborn cubs between her paws. One was ginger like his father and and one was tan like his mother. The ginger one had reddish brown eyes, the latter deep green. She nuzzled each inturn with Ahadi until the mandrill spoke.  
  
"Oh, Queen Akase, they are beatiful," he said. The shaman, named Timburi, had a deep voice with a touch of Jamaican accent to it. Suddenly he frowned and furrowed his brow, whispering, "Which one?"  
  
Ahadi looked up from his offspring to Timburi. "Mufasa," he whispered back, "The yellow one." Akase looked down at her sons sadly, she loved each so much, yet only could be king and presented to the kingdom.  
  
Nodding, Timburi cracked a gourd and spread some of the thick red liquid onto Mufasa's forehead, then sprinkled some sand on top of that. The cub gaze a small sneeze causing the lioness on Akase's right, Chamala, to go 'Awww!' Smiling, Timburi scooped up Mufasa in his arms and began walking out of the den. The tan cub mewed loudly at the sudden loss of the warmth at his side, and Akase nuzzled hid warmly, whispering, "Don't worry, my dear Taka. Everything will be alright." She then gave Taka to Chamala, who was cradling her own cub, a female, and Akase followed her mate and Timburi out of the den.  
  
King Ahadi and Queen Akase stood side-by-side as Timburi held Mufasa high into the air, causing cheers and cries of happiness and respect from the animals below. They then proceeded to bow to their future king, and when they rose, Timburi lowered the cub and handed him Akase, who held him in her mouth. Chamala came out holding both Taka and her young cub, she gave Taka to Ahadi and was invited by her best friend Akase to watch as the herds disappated, for her daughter newborn Sarabi was already young Mufasa's betrothed. When the last elephants had trudged off and the few remaining cheetahs scurried into rustling grasses, Ahadi placed Taka at his paws and said to Akase, "Oh, my dear queen....Mufasa, he looks just like me."  
  
"Except for the eyes, he has my eyes. And he will not have your black mane, I can already tell. But Taka will be a perfect mix of you and I....glossy tan coat, green eyes. Your mane," Akase purred.  
  
"They both have your qualities, good and bad," Chamala nodded, nuzzling her own cub. "Taka will be a great lion, Mufasa will be a great king."  
  
"Sarabi will be a great queen," Akase said, nuzzling her friend. Ahadi smiled at the two friends, sighing happily. So many others had had cubs around this time too: Chamala had had two cubs: Sarabi, of course, and had adopted a newborn named Chanoko, who she had found abandoned a few days ago, Ndizi had Sarafina, Ekunda had Zira, and Nyumba had Metada. It was clear to the king that his cubs would not grow up without playmates (and for Taka, future mate). It had been different when Ahadi was young, he and Akase were the only two cubs, and didn't like eachother much (especially not being affianced). But as they grew, so did their feelings for eachother, and they had come to love eachother. It brought back memories.  
  
Little did they know what lay ahead.  
  
End Chapter One  
  
A/N: Yes, I know it's rather short, but I gotta get my ideas flowin'! Next chapter will be longer =) When I was writing this I didn't have acsess to my muses ;; 


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